


Jessie's Girl

by TheNerdsPapers



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, F/M, Language, Marvel - Freeform, Quicksilver x Reader - Freeform, Xmen, marvel imagine, marvel x reader - Freeform, peter maximoff imagine, peter maximoff x reader - Freeform, quicksilver - Freeform, quicksilver imagine, xmen imagine, xmen x reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:34:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21752308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNerdsPapers/pseuds/TheNerdsPapers
Summary: Peter is head over heels in love with his best friend’s girlfriend. However, he’s an emotional wreck and doesn’t know how to handle it.
Relationships: Peter Maximoff/Reader
Comments: 1
Kudos: 41





	Jessie's Girl

**Author's Note:**

> This is really old, but I found the file and thought I'd post it because people will probably enjoy it. It's also obviously based on the song "Jessie's Girl" by Rick Springfield. Apparently, I also made a note that some of these scenes are based on a bunch of references so kudos to whoever catches those.

He’d outdone himself this time. The majority of the students at the school were young, middle school age. Maybe some in their mid-teenage years. It wasn’t often that it was someone’s 18th birthday and Charles never conceded to someone asking for permission to throw a party for the occasion. He found a certain sense of pride that he helped another mutant to adulthood. There were too many youths lost to the prejudice outside the campus. Rumors quickly spread that Jessie was throwing the party this time. His parties were schoolwide and thus legendary. Along with his friend Peter, it was guaranteed to be wild.

The anticipation built amongst the student body until the day finally came and it didn’t disappoint. Condolences to the students who chose not to attend. The music filtered to the furthest corners of the mansion from the ballroom converted lunchroom converted back to the ballroom. 

“I’m just saying, Gremlins is way better than E.T.!”

“How dare you disrespect Spielberg like that!” Scott dared.

“How about we just agree to disagree?” Jubilee suggested uneasily.

“No! He needs to answer for his totally wrong opinion!”

Peter and Scott eyed each other, an amused smirk on Peter’s face. “You’re just upset because I’m right.” Scott lunged forward and pulled his head into the crook of his arm, causing Peter to descend into a fit of giggles. “Jessie, help!” He gasped as his friend passed. 

“Looks to me like you’ve got it sorted.”

“What? No, I need- oh, hi Y/n.” He pulled himself from Scott’s grasp. Turning away from the group to hide the heat rising to his cheeks, he gave a very forced cough.

“Hey, Pete!” She greeted cheerfully. “You didn’t have any hand in setting all of this up, did you?”

He shrugged as he willfully ignored his best friend’s hand on the girl’s waist. “I might have hung up a few decorations.”

“A few?” Jessie patted his friend’s arm. “He hung up the lot! Just one of the perks of being faster than the rest of us, I guess.” 

“I helped set up the tables!” Scott added in. Jubilee rolled her eyes before turning on her heel and rejoining the party. The group awkwardly stared at each other. Their gazes shifted between their feet and surroundings. Finally, the music changed to a slower song and Peter perked up. 

“Oh, I love this song!” He sped off and everyone turned to see him on the edge of everyone else, swaying on his feet with a can of soda. 

To an outsider, their heart would have been filled with pity for the speedster. They would have seen him avert his eyes as Jessie led Y/n over to join the throngs of students, turning her around as she squealed. Peter looked down at his drink, suddenly disgusted by it. He tossed it in a nearby trash can before leaving the room. 

~

“Peter you’ll never guess what happened!” Y/n skipped up to him, tucking her head under his arm so that it slung across her shoulders.

“What happened? You know I have to know all the gossip around this place.” He cocked his head to the side. 

“No, you need to guess!”

“Alright fine,” he chuckled at her indignant expression. “Um, Warren finally hashed it out with those thirteen-year-olds that keep trying to stick post-it notes to his wings?”

“What? No, Jessie finally asked me out!” She grinned widely, eyes sparkling excitedly as she practically bounced down the hall. His smile had stiffened on the edges and it no longer reached his eyes, but she barely noticed. She turned on him, looking at him expectantly. “What do you think?”

“That’s great for you!” He said forcefully. “I’m happy, he’s a nice enough guy. Maybe finally he’ll get off my ass trying to get information about you.”

She bit her lip. “He’s been asking about me?”

His heart broke even more at the eagerness in her eyes, but he slapped a bandaid on it and called it a day. “Yeah, he might’ve mentioned you a few times.”

“Well, which is it? Is he asking about me or mentioning me?” She huffed.

“What’s the difference?” He snapped a bit more harshly than he meant to. 

“What’s going on with you? I’m just curious. If it’s so hard for you to tell me, just forget I asked.” She reached up to fix an unruly strand of his hair, but he ducked out of the way. 

“Don’t….”

“Peter, what’s your problem?!”

He fumed, nostrils flaring as he shook his head. “Nothing, I’m just- I’ve got a lot going on with training. Which I’m going to be late too if I don’t hurry up.” 

She opened her mouth to challenge him again but shut it as soon as he had left, leaving nothing but a faint wind. 

~

Peter curled up on the corner of his room. His music blared in his ears at full volume but it still wasn’t loud enough to drown out the voice in his head. He flung the headphones off, tossing them across the room. 

“Peter.” A stern voice echoed in his head.

“What do you want Jean,” he mumbled as he tucked his head between his knees.

“You’re killing the mood down here. I can hear you. Just tell her if it’s tearing you apart so much.”

“It’s too late now.”

“How is it too late?”

“Oh, you haven’t noticed? She’s only dating one of the most popular guys at this school. To make matters worse, he’s one of my best friends beside you guys,” he sneered spitefully even if she couldn’t see it. 

“And she was one of your best friends too.”

“Doesn’t matter anymore, does it? She barely speaks to me now that she has him.”

“Don’t blame him. You got upset and pushed her away.”

Peter groaned, tugging at the ends of his hair. “Don’t remind me… I’m such a loser.”

“Yeah, you are. Only a loser runs out of a party because he can’t stand to see his crush in close proximity with someone else.”

“That sounds normal to me.” His statement coming out more like a question.

“Of course it’s normal! You’re not a loser, you’re just jealous!” A knock sounded at the door, but he didn’t budge from hiding in the corner. “You better open this door before I open it for you.”

His feet dragged as he walked across the room. Jean barely waited for it to open before pushing past him into the room. 

“Glad you could visit,” Peter muttered.

“Cut it out, we all know what’s going on. Jessie probably suspects it. Y/n luckily is too moon-y to really notice. You’ve still got a shot.”

“I don’t know where I went wrong Jean,” he sighed, sitting down on the edge of his bed.

Jean folded her arms and stood sternly in front of him. “You abandoned her. You let her go without a fight because you were too worried about losing both of them if she rejected you. And don’t try to deny it, your thoughts were way too loud for a week. Now, if you want to keep her in your life, you’re going to go back to her birthday party, you’re going to apologize for being distant, and you’re going to rebuild your friendship.”

“But I don’t want to just be her friend!” He insisted.

“Well, that’s all you’ve got for now. At least then if something happens, you’ll be near enough to support her again.” 

Peter perked up at her implications. “What do you mean, ‘if something happens’?”

She held her hands up in surrender. “That’s not for me to say. You just need to get yourself together and hope for the best.”

“Thank you,” he breathed as he leaped to his feet and shook her hand before zooming out of the room. 

The music grew louder as he approached the ballroom. He lingered outside the doors, just outside of the light. Pacing back and forth, he took a few deep, shaky breaths. He froze at the sound of footsteps behind him.

“Peter? Are you okay?”

He turned around to come face to face with the person he dreaded to see. “Yeah, yeah I’m okay. Aren’t you supposed to be in there with Jessie?”

“I was going for a walk. As much as he loves big parties, they’re not really my thing. I suppose you’d know that wouldn’t you?” She rubbed her arm uncomfortably. 

“Look, I'm sorry I’ve neglected you-”

“It’s been a few months.”

“I know, I know!” He nodded frantically. “I don’t have a good excuse. Not that I’d try to make one up with you, I just- I don’t- I’m just sorry. I don’t know what else to say.”

“Are you sure you’re alright?” She asked gently, stepping closer. He nodded again as he prayed she wouldn’t hear the pounding of his heart and thanked whoever was listening that it was dark. “You just seem unusually anxious lately. It probably sounds creepy,” she hesitated, “but I’ve been trying to keep an eye on you. You’ve always been my best friend. I worry about you.”

“I’m fine,” he shrugged, pasting a smile on as he always did. 

“You always say that, but I know you. I know when you’re broken or stressed or angry. You’re all of those things, Peter. Please just let me help you.”

He swallowed a lump in his throat before unconsciously angling away from her. “You're mistaken.”

“I’m not!”

“Okay, say you are right. There’s nothing you can do to help me!” He snapped.

“Is it your dad?”

He shook his head.

“Is it training?”

He shook his head harder, using all his willpower to not start trembling.

“Is it me?” 

“No, no…”

“Then what is it?” Her questions seemed suffocating, echoing overtop one another in his mind. His heart rate accelerated as all he could do was shake his head and keep saying ‘no’. “Just tell me!” 

The dam broke. “I’M ANGRY WITH MYSELF!” He roared, hands rising to the sides of his face and twisting into fists. “I’ve ruined everything like I always do! All I do is run away or- or push people away and I pretend like everything is fine because I can’t handle people worrying about me! I have to be the one to make others forget, make others stop worrying for a minute. It doesn’t matter what’s wrong with me because no one really cares!”

“But I care-” she reached out to him, but he took a large step back. 

“No, not in the way I need you to.”

“What do you mean?”

His body finally broke down, his form trembling as tears flowed from his eyes. “I’m in love with you.”

“What?”

“I can’t stand seeing you with him. I just need you to know-”

“Peter, you can’t-” she broke off, tears of her own threatening to spill over. “You have no idea what you mean to me.” 

He shook his head, averting his red ringed eyes from hers. “Don’t. Don’t say that. I don’t want to be your friend.”

“I can’t. I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, too.” He walked past her without another word, away from the party and away from the last few broken pieces of his heart.

Y/n stood alone in the dark hall. The pounding music continued to stream out of the doors, mimicking the pounding in her chest and head. She folded her arms in an attempt to get control of herself. Wiping her tears away, a head poked out the door. 

“Hey, babe was looking for you. You alright?” 

“Yeah,” she nodded with a small sniffle, “I’m okay. Just went for a little walk.”

Jessie walked over to her, placing his hands on her waist. “Are you crying?”

“No, no, I’m fine. Really.”

“Are you not happy with the party? I know it’s a little bigger than I originally planned-”

“I’m not upset over the party!” She retorted. More tears threatened to leak out.

“Woah, okay.” He gave her a forced laugh. “Didn’t mean to offend you.”

She shook her head, grabbing his hand and attempting to lead him inside. “Let’s just go back to the party.”

“Hey, what’s up with you? You were fine last time I saw you. Did someone say something to you?” Jessie questioned as he stood his ground. 

“No, no one said anything. I guess I’m just being emotional tonight is all.”

“You know, between you and Peter, I don’t know what to do anymore.”

“What are you talking about?”

He took his hand from her grasp. “Both of you are being so weird. Neither of you will talk to me and I’m tired of it. Are you hiding something from me?”

“When have I ever hid something from you?” Y/n’s despair was slowly turned into anger.

“I wouldn’t know, would I? But I don’t know what else I’m supposed to think when you don’t let me in.” His voice rose higher and higher, but he didn’t care if anyone heard. It wasn’t likely anyone would, given the exponentially louder volume inside. “You never seemed to have this problem with Peter!”

She blinked in bewilderment. “He was my best friend! Of course I-”

“That’s just it! I’m your boyfriend! I’m supposed to be your best friend! How do you think I feel when you’re so willing to tell him everything, but not me?” 

Neither noticed the slowly approaching form down the hall. Peter’s head hung low but snapped to attention at the raised voices ahead of him. He looked around for somewhere to hide but found the hall wide open aside from a pedestal with a vase. Desperate, he stepped behind it, hoping it would at least partially conceal him.

“Well maybe if you made it easier to talk to you, we wouldn’t be having this conversation!” Y/n argued. 

“I’m not easy to talk to?”

“No, you’re not! Any time we’re together you get distracted by someone else every ten minutes! We can barely have a conversation without someone else joining in!” 

“Fine, if I’m so difficult to be around, maybe you should find someone who is. Try Peter, he still hangs around after you like a kicked puppy.” He pushed past her and walked back into the party, leaving her in the dark. 

Her knees shook and she almost collapsed, but Peter was there to catch her and ease her to the floor. She looked for a moment as if she might push him away, but seemed to change her mind as she buried her face into his chest, her tears soaking into his shirt. He had been going to apologize and tell her to forget everything he’d said. All of that had changed. She clung desperately to him, and he returned the favor. People would speculate and talk, but he would be the rock she needed. 

~

“You should eat.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Doesn’t mean you don’t still need to eat.” Peter set down a plate of toast on Y/n’s bedside table. The pair stayed silent for a moment. Soon, the bed covers rustled as she emerged from her den. Her hair stuck to her tear stained cheeks, her eyes were puffy and swollen. 

“Why are you doing all of this?” She croaked.

“Because I’m your friend,” he replied, unsticking the strands of hair and tucking them behind her ears. 

“Yeah, but you don’t want to be.” She expected his resolve to falter, but his sympathetic gaze didn’t waver.

“I want to be whatever you need me to be. And if that means I need to be the friend who makes you brush your teeth and get food in your stomach, then that’s what I’ll do.” He handed her the plate. 

She stared at it before sighing and picking up a piece, nibbling on a corner. He nodded in satisfaction as he set down the plate and sat down beside her. Unconsciously, she leaned into his side, prompting him to wrap a comforting arm around her.

“Thank you,” she mumbled.

“It’s no problem at all. You probably still don’t want to go out, so I was thinking stay in bed, eat ice cream, and watch movies?”

“Can we watch Back to the Future?”

“We can watch whatever you want,” he chuckled. Y/n curled deeper into his side. “I can’t turn the movie on with you clinging to me like that.”

“Just give me a minute,” she hummed, not noticing the blush creeping up his cheeks. For a while, she didn’t say anymore and let silent tears roll down her face. “He never really cared to do things for me. He only did things for me to make himself look good.”

“Why did you stay then, if you were so unhappy?” Peter blurted out.

“He wasn’t all that bad. He just got distracted. It’s not like I could’ve done any better.”

He pushed her hair from her face, drawing her eyes to his. “That’s not true! If he didn’t care or do anything for you, then he didn’t deserve you. Anyone- most people would be better than him.”

Unwinding her arms from around his torso, he stood up and checked his watch.

“Where are you going?”

“We are going out. You’ve done enough wallowing. We’re going to go have fun, and you’re going to forget all about that asshole.” Y/n flumped back down on the bed, drawing the covers over her head as Peter shook his head. “Don’t make me drag you out.”

Her response came back to unintelligible. He shrugged, rolling her over and wrapping her inside the blankets. 

“Peter!”

“I warned you,” he laughed. She squirmed as he scooped up the bundle. With great difficulty, he set her down inside her closet, snapping the door shut against her resistance. 

“Let me out!”

“No! Not until you’re ready to go out!”

“You’re a jerk!”

“You’ll thank me later!”

She gave one last stubborn kick to the bottom of the door. He breathed a sigh of relief, ignoring the fluttering in his chest as he heard her rifling around. 

“I can’t get dressed in here. Do you mind leaving?” 

“Do you promise not to trick me?” 

“I promise,” she grumbled.

“Alright, I’m going to leave. I’ll be outside in the hall if you need me.” Outside her room, his nerves increased exponentially. If people weren’t talking before, they definitely would now. He rubbed his clammy palms on his jeans as he paced back and forth a few feet. The lock clicked in the door and caused him to freeze in place, head snapping in the direction of the sound. He gulped nervously. 

“Happy now?” She folded her arms grumpily. 

He nodded slowly, paralyzed at the sight. Her high waisted shorts drew his gaze, causing him to quickly avert his eyes from her entirely. 

“Ready to go?”

“Not like I have a choice, do I? What do you have planned?”

~

“Roller skating?”

“I know you like skating, at least you used to. Has that changed?” He asked anxiously. This could all fall apart so easily.

Y/n shook her head, taking in the scene of slightly dimmed lights and loud music. “No, I still like hanging out here, but Peter you can’t skate.”

“I know, but you like it,” he shrugged, “and it’s disco night!” 

Her lips split into a small grin. A few minutes later they were lacing up and headed for the rink. Peter wobbled after her confident strides. 

“You doing alright?” She teased, biting back a laugh as he clung to the rail. 

“Never better!” With tiny steps, he slowly made his way along the side. She skated closer to him as he clung tighter. “Don’t get too close!”

Y/n gingerly took his hands and led him away from the edge. His grip was like a vice as he inched after her. “You’re doing fine!” 

“Only because you’re doing all the work!” He shouted.

“Peter, I’m not doing anything. It’s all you.” She let go of his hands and laughed at the terror in his eyes. He made it about another foot before slipping. Grabbing onto her to try and stop his fall, he dragged both of them down.

“I’m sorry!” He gasped.

She helped him back to his feet. “It’s alright. It was bound to happen at some point.” 

Hand in hand, they skated on, Peter stumbling and slipping the entire way. Even though he was starting to get sore from falling, a smile was plastered to his face. His cheeks ached and his stomach fluttered at the joy lighting up Y/n’s face. He slowly grew more confident in his abilities. He was even able to skate on his own for a couple of minutes. Eventually, they both tired out and collapsed on a bench with their shoulders pressed against one another. They unlaced their skates to rejoin the outside world.

“You know, I’m kind of hungry,” Y/n said.

“Well I know a great place to eat,” Peter chirped, lacing his fingers with hers as he led them out into the chilly air. He noticed her bare arms and, knowing how stubborn she was, wrapped his jacket around her. 

“I don’t-”

“You do.”

She shook her head before hugging the jacket closer. “How far to the place?”

“Just up here.”

They turned the corner to find an old hole-in-the-wall diner. It wasn’t late-late, but late enough that there were only a couple other people inside. 

“Peter! Haven’t seen you in here in a while!” A cheery waitress greeted him. “Best seat is open right over there.” She pointed to a booth in a corner near the window. “I’m guessing the usual for the both of you?”

“You know it!” He shrugged with a smile as he led Y/n over to the seat.

She barely had time to take in the area before a chocolate milkshake was set in front of her with a large plate of fries between them. As she reached for some fries, something smacked gently into her face. Peter hummed proudly as he stuck his straw in his shake. 

“Did you just hit me with your straw wrapper?” He shrugged innocently. Y/n ripped the tip off her wrapper and returned the favor. He jokingly scowled before turning his attention to his food. It didn’t take long for the plate to be demolished, leaving only a few traces of salt. 

“So I know I said no talking about… him, but I’m sorry he- well both of us, really, ruined your birthday.”

“It’s alright. It was already pretty much ruined when I got there. I would have much rathered to do something like this with my real friends.”

“You mean you don’t like being the center of attention, surrounded by literally every person in the school, as only the most carefully selected list of crappy music plays? I don’t know, sounds like the perfect birthday to me.”

She snorted. “Right, totally not better than hanging out with my friends instead of getting towed around to everybody so Jessie can preen himself on what a great boyfriend he is.”

A moment of silence passed as the pair imagined Jessie strutting around with a giant peacock tail.

“You ready to head back?” Peter asked as he tossed some cash down on the table. 

She nodded as he helped her from her seat and led them both back out into the night. Their fingers seemed to lace together again of their own accord. The walk back to the mansion was a long one, but the streets were empty of any onlookers. Peter hummed to himself an unknown tune. A song straight from his heart. 

“Do you have training tomorrow?” Y/n conversed casually. 

“No, I think I’m pretty much free all day.”

“Oh, that’s good. Must be nice to have a break.”

An uncomfortable tension began to settle between them. What could they talk about after all this time? Finally, curiosity got the better of Peter.

“Why do you ask?”

“Just trying to make conversation, I guess,” she shrugged with an awkward smile. A beat. “Did you- if you’re not busy, I mean- did you want to hang out again? We can just play video games or something.”

His heart lifted and he struggled to keep his grin from becoming too wide. Stay calm, Peter. She’s still pulling herself together. It’s just a friends thing. “Cool.”

“What?”

“I mean- sure! We can do that if you want.”

The tension seemed to evaporate as Y/n walked just slightly closer to him. It was far later than Peter had meant for them to stay out, but they were adults now. There wasn’t much Charles could do to stop them. There wasn’t much he could do to stop him in the first place. Halls silent with sleeping students, they crept back to their rooms. Conveniently, they were just down the hall from each other.

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Peter nodded, still not letting go of her hand.

“Yep, I’ll be seeing you. Get some good sleep tonight.”

Okay, Peter, you can let go of her hand now. Her gaze flicked between him and the door. Really, Peter, it’s time for you to go. 

“Is there something else on your mind?” Y/n asked, a teasing glint in her eye.

“Nope,” he shook his head, “I’ll just go now.” Had someone stuck super glue to the floor beneath his feet? It’s time to leave!

“You sure about that?” Had she always been this close?

He nodded nervously before swallowing a large lump in his throat, heart pounding in his chest. “Yeah, yeah, all good. Good- good night!”

She tilted her head to the side, humming disbelievingly. Her voice came out much softer as she questioned him again. “Are you nervous about something?”

“Nope!” 

“Just kiss me, Peter,” she huffed, pressing her lips to his. A muffled squeak escaped him before he returned the pressure. His hands flailed excitedly for a moment until they settled at her sides. Much earlier than he wanted, she broke away. “Good night.”

“Good night,” he grinned, watching her disappear into her room. 

The next morning no one could figure out why there were strange scuff marks all over the floors throughout the mansion. To add fire to the confusion, Peter actually looked exhausted. It wasn’t long until the two were put together. It also helped when everyone watched as Charles sat him down in the foyer with a sponge and a bucket of soapy water. 


End file.
